There’s been a change in ownership at Medivac Ambulance Service. David Miller and his wife Donita have owned the company based in Harlan, since 1979. Miller spoke about the change and trends that they’ve seen over the past year before the Atlantic City Council, during their meeting Wednesday night. He said their over-all call volume has pretty much stayed the same over the past year as the primary paramedic/advanced life-support provider. They average about 1,200 ambulance calls per year. Miller says over the past year, they have increased their staff somewhat. He says two, full-time paramedics have moved from Nebraska into the community of Atlantic and purchased real estate. One of the paramedics has more than 20-years of experience. 

Miller says he celebrated his 40^th year in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) this year, and, while he’s enjoyed his career, “All goods things must come to and end.” With that having been said, Miller introduced the new owners of Medivac, Bob and Nella Seivert, of Harlan. He said the couple has been with the company for 28-years individually, and nothing will change as far as how things operate. 

Bob Sievert said he and his wife moved to the area in 1984, from northwest Iowa. He said they’ve watched Medivac and the EMS field grow over the years. Nell Seivert is an instructor in several areas for the American Heart Association. Bob Sievert serves as the Emergency Management Coordinator for Shelby County, a position he will retain. Nell will become the Operations Manager for the both the Harlan and Atlantic Medivac service. 

Seivert says LaVonne Schroeter, Manager of the Atlantic Medivac division, will also continue in her position with the company. Bob Seivert says he “Looks forward to a long and productive relationship,” with the City, and will continue Miller’s open-door policy of communication.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded $8.3 million in contracts to restore the navigation channel along a nearly 120-mile stretch of the Missouri River in Iowa and Nebraska affected by last summer’s historic flooding. The corps says the project is to repair a 300-foot-wide by 9-foot-deep channel between Sioux City, Iowa, and Rulo, Nebraska. Dikes and other rock foundations are used to create the channel and prevent erosion along the bank. Many were damaged by the high floodwaters. The repairs will take about 250,000 tons of rock and will involve cranes operating from barges. The project is in two sections — from Sioux City to Fort Calhoun, Nebraska and from Fort Calhoun to Rulo. Work is to begin within the week and be completed by September 2014.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, by a 6-to-1 vote, passed a Resolution requesting the Iowa Department of Transportation, to allow the City to convert 2nd Street from Buck Creek Road to Poplar Street, from a four lane to three-lanes (2 travel lanes, with a center turn lane) and a five-foot bike lane on both sides. The idea is to have a safe route of travel for bicycling enthusiasts to get from downtown Atlantic to the Schildberg Recreation Area, and an eventual connector to the T-Bone Trail.

The original Resolution had called for the conversion to include 2nd Street to Chestnut, but as Mayor Pro-Tem Steve Livengood pointed out, there would be a loss of parking spaces on 2nd Street, between Poplar and Chestnut. Councilman Shaun Shouse said it wouldn’t be possible to include the stretch of 2nd Street between Poplar and Chestnut, because the road is too narrow. Shouse said the cost of re-striping for the bike lanes and adding signage to the proposed route is much lower than trying to pave gravel portions of road on alternate routes, which come through  industrial areas that are also less aesthetically attractive. City Administrator Doug Harris said another reason the Resolution was changed to end the bike lanes at Poplar, was because that’s as far as Highway 83 (which becomes 2nd Street in Atlantic) goes, and the only stretch of the road where permission is needed from the State to add bike lanes or make other such changes.

Councilman Chris Jimerson, who often rides his bike to work, provided the lone nay vote on the Resolution, citing safety concerns. He said he worries about a child, or even an adult, getting onto Buck Creek Road and getting hit by a car, because it is a well traveled Road. During discussion, Councilman Dana Halder wondered if the City wasn’t getting ahead of itself, because there is no clearly defined bike route into Atlantic, and the Schildberg Rec Area, other than along the main highways. He wanted to know if there would eventually be more than one route into Atlantic from the Trail connection to the north.

Nishna Valley Trails group member Myra Kail, who initiated the bike lanes discussion with City Administrator Doug Harris, said her intentions was to find a way to bring the trail into Atlantic, that would ultimately “benefit the community.”  She says as far as she’s concerned, bring bicyclists into Atlantic doesn’t mean they necessarily have to come by way of the Schildberg Quarry. It means “Into the City proper, of Atlantic,” where they can shop, find food, a restroom and things of that nature. ” She says she wanted to “Open the doorway,” for how they would get bicyclists safely from Schildberg, into the City. Kail said “The possibility for there to be on-the-ground visibility of progress” being made on the trail, “Is absolutely huge, to the overall plan.”

City Administrator Doug Harris said he doesn’t yet have an estimate on how much it would cost the City to pay for the striping and signage changes, but Ed Kail, who is also with the Nishna Valley Trails group, said they “Would be willing to put some skin in the game,” as far as helping to pay for the cost of the signs, but no dollar figure will be available until the actual costs become clearer.